Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 28, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A4 A 4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015 TOP NEWS winnipegfreepress. com 289 KING STREET . 204- 946- 0729 Mon- Fri 8: 30- 5: 00 Sat 9: 00- 3: 00 . Closed Sun New, factory seconds, and more. tagwarehouse. ca to Winnipeg's best kept shopping secret. FURNITURE, WINDOWS, DOORS & MORE TERMS: Cash, Visa, Mastercard or Debit Paid in Full Day of Sale 5% Buyers Fee " SUBJECT TO ADDITIONS & DELETIONS" " Everything Sold As Is, Where Is," with no warranties implied or expressed KAYE'S AUCTIONS ( 204) 668- 0183 ( WPG.) www. kayesauctions. com UNRESERVED AUCTION SALE AT Kaye's Auction House 263 Stanley St. Thursday, January 29th, 2015 at 7: 00 PM ( Viewing after 2: 00 PM Same Day of Sale Only) a Received thru the Office of the Sheriff, Bankruptcy Jewelers Store ( Part III), Estate & Pawn Shop we will sell the following: 2007 International CF600 truck w/ 20ft. box, roll up door w/ VT275 V6, diesel, AT, PW & AC, nice shape* 2001 Toyota Corolla CE 4- door, AT, AC* Large assortment of Ladies & Men's ( Bulova, Seiko, Pulsar, Esquire, Tommy Hilfiger, Harley Davidson, etc.) watches ( some solar)* Ladies diamond & gem stone rings* assorted pendants* etc.* 3- G. I. Joe's Hasbro 1964 Canada & US* Action Man Palitoy* Louis Marx & Co. figurine* assorted Ty Beanie Teddy's* Coca Cola cooler* Bertmar mantel clock* assorted electric & acoustic guitar ( Peavey, Squier, Silvertone, Tradition, Jasmine, Jay, etc.)* Assorted guitar amps ( Peavey, Mega, etc.)* Saxophone Musica* 2- Violin's* Xsession Pro M- Audio DJ mixer* Audiofire 8* Guitar effect system GS- 10* Samson compact 6- channel stereo mixer* American optical microscope* assorted comic's* Earl Gray Trophy* Traynor mono block II* Stanton T- 60 turn table* LG 42" LCD TV ( 2010) * Samsung 32" LCD TV ( 2010)* 5pc. Country style table & chairs* Modern sofa* 4- Tier modern glass TV stand* Round wood table w/ 4- chairs* 4pc. modern bedroom suite* 2pc. modern captains bed suite* plus lots of other misc. items too numerous to mention.. P HOENIX Sinclair would have been celebrating her 15th birthday in April, the same age Tina Fontaine was when her body was hauled from the Red River in August. It's hard not to think about those two aboriginal girls, failed in different ways almost a decade apart by Child and Family Services, as the Manitoba government rolled out an ambitious plan to overhaul the crumbling system that was supposed to protect them. It's hard not to think about the toddler who was killed on Peguis First Nation last July - who currently can't be identified due to a courtordered publication ban the Free Press and other media are fighting to get overturned - the seventh child in four years to be killed while in CFS care or receiving CFS services. Another child, rendered nameless. " I hope people feel optimistic that we can do this, because I do," Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin- Ross told a roomful of reporters after she finished outlining how the province will implement the remaining 31 of the 62 recommendations that came out of the $ 14- million Phoenix Sinclair inquiry led by commissioner Ted Hughes. Cautiously optimistic, maybe. The report - a dense, jargony 228- pager obliquely titled Options for Action - inspires confusion more than optimism. Let's just say there are a lot of very wordy but ultimately vague- sounding options on the table, many of which sound years away from actionable. ( The word " develop" is used a lot.) Irvin- Ross says the emphasis is now on shifting from protection to prevention. In the short term, the government says it will revise the funding model for CFS agencies, including a 60 per cent increase for family supports ($ 2,100 from $ 1,300), hire an indigenous children's advocate, introduce legislation that would give the Office of the Children's Advocate more independence and create a pilot project called Circle of Care based at Sagkeeng First Nation, aimed at keeping families together. And those are just the short- term goals. There is a daunting amount of work - hard work - to be done, which serves to illustrate just how bad things are. More than 10,000 Manitoba kids are in CFS care; the minister said 87 per cent of them are aboriginal. We know the system is broken and Options for Action is a step in the right direction - but I fear we'll be back at the Leg in a year, hearing about the report on the implementation report. Another bound book that will sit on desks. Progress is slow and change takes time, but can we afford to spend five to seven years - the amount of time it was suggested it would take for many of these items to bear fruit - before any actual action is taken? And how many more Phoenix Sinclairs will there be in the meantime? As children's advocate Darlene MacDonald expressed in a statement, the report is " soft on timelines, absent of clear recommendations, and sets up vulnerable children and youth to wait even longer to see strong, independent legislation enacted." " In Manitoba, commissioner Hughes merely called for a strengthening and broadening of the already existing mandate of the busy OCA, and a year later the government is still talking about forming committees and looking at what can maybe be done in the next five to seven years." The subtitle of the report is The Legacy of Phoenix Sinclair: Achieving the Best for All Our Children . Phoenix was maybe mentioned once or twice during Tuesday's news conference. We can't forget about the little girl at the heart of all of this. We can't forget about what happened to her. We need to remember the outrage we felt and use it to motivate our government to move quickly. Five to seven years is too long. It's already been 10 years since Phoenix was killed. Options for Action is a start. But I'll save my optimism for when I see some real action. jen. zoratti@ freepress. mb. ca A BORIGINAL leaders said it will take much more to fix the child- welfare system than acting on recommendations from the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry, but softened their tone toward provincial authorities, saying they were doing the best they could. With aboriginal children accounting for 87 per cent of those under the care of Child and Family Services, leaders responded to a report on implementing those recommendations by saying children should be returned to well- functioning families. All but gone were the anger and frustration of earlier pronouncements. Instead, aboriginal leaders said the problem remained with the system, not those running it, and they felt sympathy for Child and Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin- Ross. " She's doing a good job in terms of at least meeting with the leadership, not that there's any substantial change, but she's showing respect," Southern Chiefs' Organization Grand Chief Terry Nelson told a news conference. Irvin- Ross briefed aboriginal leaders in advance of the report on the 62 recommendations following the 2005 murder of the five- year- old on Fisher River First Nation. Also included was Manitoba Metis Federation president David Chartrand. They all told Irvin- Ross she alone can't fix a system with deep roots in residential schools, the resulting breakdown of social structures, on- reserve unemployment rates of 60 to 95 per cent and little prospect of economic development. They also invited her to join Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs leaders at their next meeting Feb. 25 in Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, 60 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. " It's a much bigger problem than CFS and one report," Nelson said. Nelson, flanked by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief David Harper and former Manitoba grand chief Dennis Whitebird, said the province's attempt at " devolution" - allowing aboriginal control of the child- welfare system - had stalled. Devolution, Harper said, " hasn't moved." " It's gone to the devil," Nelson added. Nelson reverted briefly to long- standing aboriginal criticism of the system, saying: " No immigrant government has the right to come in and rip away our children." Whitebird was more conciliatory. The recommendations, he said, recognized the legacy of Phoenix Sinclair, but aboriginal leaders still had no say in the system. Harper noted Manitoba's current political instability ahead of the March 8 NDP leadership vote and looming federal and provincial elections can't bode well for the reforms championed by inquiry commissioner Ted Hughes. " We cannot, we can no longer wait. We have to put a process in place for our people," Harper said. A mere pledge to keep children at home instead of apprehending them and even appointing an aboriginal advocate will change nothing, the chiefs said. " There are no rights for the child. I would rather see the parents removed from the house than the children," said Nelson. " The children did not commit a crime. If there's neglect, why is it that children are taken from their home, sent out of the community and housed with strangers? If you're a child, you still love your parents and the home you came from. I don't see in any of the recommendations here, where the parents should be removed. If there is neglect, remove the parent." alexandra. paul@ freepress. mb. ca 8,960 Number of Inuit, M�tis and aboriginal children in care in 2014 1,333 Number of non- aboriginal children in care in 2014 10,293 Total number of children in care under CFS in 2014 7,510 Number of children in care under First Nations CFS in 2014 5,539 Number of families receiving services from First Nations CFS in 2014 21,378 Total number of families receiving services from CFS in 2014 Mentoring Program for OCD Are you an adult in Winnipeg diagnosed with OCD? Would you like help from a Volunteer Mentor? OCD Centre 204- 942- 3331 Vague- sounding options don't foster optimism Chiefs tone down angry stance Say problems not the fault of the minister By Alexandra Paul JEN ZORATTI RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A final update into how the province can implement 31 of the remaining recommendations made by commissioner Ted Hughes after the death of five- year- old Phoenix Sinclair is contained in the 228- page report. PHOTOS BY WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Ex- grand chief Dennis Whitebird ( above) and Southern Chiefs' Organization Grand Chief Terry Nelson JOIN THE CONVERSATION Is the province moving fast enough to keep children safe? Go to winnipegfreepress. com and add your comments to the conversation A_ 04_ Jan- 28- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A4 1/ 27/ 15 10: 05: 04 PM ;